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Shah admits he played the wrong shot

The RR batsman hit 76 off 42 balls but got out to Malinga, which helped MI to register a 27-run win.

Mumbai: Rajasthan Royals' batsman Owais Shah was disappointed with the way he got out to Lasith Malinga on Wednesday and said he made a mistake by not playing out the Mumbai Indians' pace spearhead. "I think I made a mistake by not playing out Lasith Malinga who is dangerous. I didn't have to, perhaps, try to play some shots against him. [I] should have stuck around, seen Malinga off and maybe attack the other bowlers," Shah said after Rajasthan's 27-run defeat at the Wankhede Stadium last night.

"Malinga is a very good bowler and [he] bowled well [on Wednesday]. He has a very lethal yorker. I made a mistake and am quite happy to put my hand up and say next time I would try and not make the [same] mistake," the England batsman, who hit 76 off 42 balls, admitted.

After his side was 7 for 2, Shah looked to have taken the fight into the enemy's camp with his fine counter-attack and his partnership with Ajinkya Rahane (40), before he was yorked by Malinga off the first ball of the 15th over. Rajasthan were still 64 runs short of the stiff target of 198 when he got out. Shah's dismissal helped Mumbai to stage a fightback, which finally ended in Rajasthan's first defeat in three games.

Shah had a laugh when it was suggested that he had batted better than West Indian Kieron Pollard, who smashed 64 off 33 balls earlier in the game for the home team, and said he would say he had batted well only if he had taken his team past the finish line.

"At the end of the day, you need to win. My efforts went in vain. I tried my best to try and win the game, get us as close as possible. The best players perhaps take you all the way and win the game. Something I was missing from my innings was the finishing touch. I was happy with the way I struck the ball, but for me to say I played really well, I got to have finished the game and win it for my team. Then I would consider I had played well."

Shah is happy that he was finally getting an extended run for his new franchise in the league's fifth edition. "I feel like having a proper run in a side now [in the IPL], finally. I did not really play for Delhi [Daredevils] when I was with Delhi. I got four games for Kolkata Knight Riders. I played three games for my country last year. I thank my captain, coach, vice captain for showing the faith in batting me at number four. I got a few runs."

"I have been in that situation lesser times for the Twenty20 teams that I have played over the years. I guess you should use your experience, try and keep up with the rate and do the basics right," the Englishman concluded.